Impressions
by YourBiggestPretend
Summary: She was an opportunity missed; a beauty and a force of nature. He was the boy in the Shop N' Go, in the beat-up red pickup with silver spinners, and now in her heart.
1. He Sees Her

**A/N:** I guess I'll just put it out there that I love Seth. I also love the actor they picked to play him in Eclipse, because he looks exactly how I imagined him. This isn't supposed to be a long story. I just kind of got the idea and went with it. Who knows what I'll do? I certainly don't.

Not yet anyways.

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**He. Sees. Her.**

The first time he sees her she is walking through the woods of La Push like a normal human being. She does not glance behind in fear of the unknown, nor does she race along at the inhuman pace of a vampire. She simply walks, unafraid and perfectly human amongst the dark trees and shrubbery.

His breath catches when she steps into a patch of sunlight and her golden hair ripples against her back.

_Beautiful_ is the first word that comes to mind.

Of course, because he's Seth and curious, and _good god_ he's never seen anything as intriguing as this strange girl, he follows her. It's his nature as a shifter and a native to the land that his footsteps are soundless and he slips between the trees a couple paces behind.

He thinks about revealing himself to her but doubts his appearance his one for first impressions. Low slung jean cut-offs are the only thing he bothers to carry around when he's shifting so they're the only thing he wears. Inner Seth tells him to screw it and catch her and ask her for her name. But Logical Seth says that'd be creepy, and maybe just following is good enough. (Logical Seth is what he listens to, though he doesn't necessarily like it.)

Finally, after a couple of minutes the girl stops, bending down to look at the base of a tree and withdrawing something from the messenger bag she carries. Seth takes the time to study her, taking in the scuffed red converse and the way her t-shirt rises up to reveal pale, unblemished skin. He'd give everything he's ever known to see her face; he bets it's just as beautiful as the rest of her.

He imagines what it would be like to talk to her. It's difficult, since he's only seen the back of her and not even a face to go along with it. She would turn and he would walk nonchalantly out of the bushes like he hadn't been tailing her for the past 5 minutes, and they would strike up a friendly conversation.

His pulse quickens at the thought of even speaking to her. What would he say? Inner Seth would probably sling out some sly pick-up lines he'd heard from Paul or Embry. Logical Seth would stutter and talk about the weather. How awkward.

But first he'd have to suck it up, be a man and just _open his mouth._ Not normally a precarious situation. But the way this girl has lured him just by one ripple of gold hair; one step in those ratty converse, it guarantees embarrassment. Plus he's not so sure he's in the mood for sharing and enduring an onslaught of mental ridicule from his peers twenty minutes from now.

Seth shakes himself once; letting the glaze of his warring thoughts disappear, only to find that the girl has vanished. Right under his nose. Leave it to him to totally zone out.

He looks around cautiously in case she's moved to another tree and he's overlooked it. But she's gone. And now her absence has left him feeling somewhat mystified and maybe just a little bit…empty? He steps out of his hiding spot dismayed that he's lost her. His stomach growls and he immediately starts in the direction of Emily's house before a thought occurs to him. Why had that girl stopped at the tree in the first place?

Seth turns to look at it curiously but sees nothing of interest. A plain old tree with rough bark and twisting roots and branches, maybe a squirrel or two. Pretty boring. But then he sees it- a tiny white flower nestled snugly in the grass at the base. A small, almost invisible image of beauty. You would have to be extremely observant to notice it. Maybe it's girlish or maybe not, but he finds it relatively amazing. He collects it gently, pulling it from its home and cupping it in his palm. It could be a small memory too, because somehow this tiny flower and that vanishing girl seemed important.

He holds it protectively in his hand as he walks to Emily's, trying too hard not to wonder if he'd ever see her again, and why he all of a sudden felt so warm inside.


	2. She Sees Him

A/N: Alright so here it is, the second chapter of Impressions. I want to clarify some things so that nobody is confused about the setting of the story and time. It's currently 4 years after Breaking Dawn, so Seth is 18. Pretty much everything is relatively the same; he's still Jacob's beta, and now Jacob is the alpha of the pack. Sam has settled down to be with Emily, although he still changes from time to time, he's resigned from his alpha position. Also, Nessie has had fours years to grow so I figure she's about 12 now at this point.

So yep that's pretty much it. In this chapter you get to meet the girl(: Enjoy.

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**She. Sees. Him.**

Before she sees him she is in the baby aisle at the Forks version of Wal-Mart, the Stop N' GO. Her mom and her Italian boyfriend Will are cooing over a pink and fluorescent green baby onesie, wrapped up in their new parental bubble. She hovers somewhere around the edges, rubbing her arms and shivering because the store's thermostat is broken and it's absolutely _freezing_.

It's hard being the only one not completely tripping over themselves about the new baby. She not particularly upset about it, just unenthusiastic and somewhat worried. Her mother is a serial dater, spawned from Los Angeles and its streets filled with celebrities and the paparazzi with their flashing cameras. She skips through guys like the pages of erotic romance novels when she's looking for the "good parts". Normally there are no breaks from the dates and the boyfriends unless its heartbreak.

This time with Will is different though, and it's been eight blissful months of joy, combined with moving to some town in the middle of nowhere and surprise! A baby. As far as she's concerned Mr. Will better pop the question soon or beat it outta there so she can start picking up the pieces of her mother's heart before the baby comes.

Blowing out a breath that unsettles a strand of blonde hair, she eyes the end of the aisle plotting an escape. Contrary to the Shop N' Go's name, the store was so filled with stuff that most people shopped for hours instead of picking up what they needed and leaving. There were so many other unexplored aisles and she was dying to get away from all this mushy baby stuff. (And maybe part of her was slightly jealous that her mother was actually starting to be a parent, it just wasn't for her, only the little cells multiplying rapidly in her womb. She wasn't ready to face that part yet.)

"Oh Riley! Did you see this little onesie? So cute isn't it?" Her mother turns to her, holding up the bright colored clothing so she can see it. She's tempted to wrinkle her nose; the poor kid would light up like a glow stick the colors were so bright, but instead she shrugs.

"Yeah it's nice."

Will frowns over her mother's shoulder at her lack of enthusiasm. He wants her to be happy but so far the only emotion she'd ever shown was a smile that didn't reach her eyes and a neutral form of agreement in matters concerning the baby. Instead of commenting on her attitude however, he points to a pair of baby booties on a shelf farther down the aisle. Her mother squeals and makes for the booties while Riley makes her escape, backing slowly away until she's out of the aisle completely. He gives her a small grin before she turns and walks away.

Will might have knocked up her mother, but he sure could read her moods. She'd have to thank him later for providing a distraction.

Strolling amiably now that she's free, Riley takes a right turn and then a left, heading for the camera department. The roll of film in her back pocket is just aching to be developed and she's rather excited about the shots she took while she was walking in the woods. She's almost there when something catches her eye, sitting on a wire candy rack across the way.

Licorice.

She almost halts in the middle of one of the busiest main aisles but catches herself. Her latest candy addiction is calling her name, and the twenty dollar bill in her pocket isn't helping. Biting her lip, she makes a split second decision, turning sharply so she can grab a pack, buy it, and get the guilt of spending her money on _more_ candy over with. Of course, just like everything else in her life, this doesn't go smoothly and she collides head on with someone going 90 miles per hour with a shopping cart.

To say that she lands hard is an understatement.

"Dude, what the hell?" Vaguely, above the pounding of pain in her skull, she hears the voice of a boy yelling. Stars spin in front of her eyes, and she moans. "You just hit that girl, man. I told you not to go fast!"

Suddenly there is a tan hand in front of her face. Riley takes it, allowing herself to be pulled to a somewhat shaky standing position. The world still spins around her and she leans heavily on the guy who has pulled her up.

"Whoa." He breathes. "You're way out of it."

"Ya think?" she moans, trying to clear her vision. The guy is tan and cute, with dimples and short dark spiky hair. He grins at her remark, and holds her steady until she can see without falling again.

"My name is Jacob. Sorry about hitting you. My idiot friend Paul over there was pushing me in the cart." He smiles sheepishly. "I enjoy shopping carts. A great pastime of mine."

"Hey! I am not an idiot!" For the first time she sees another boy with the same tan skin as Jacob, clenching the shopping cart with unmasked annoyance.

"Yeah yeah. Say you're sorry Paul!" Jacob commands. Paul's right eye twitches, but he sighs deeply, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry about that. I got a little carried away." Riley grins, her pain fading but her amusement growing.

"That's alright. I'm Riley. I should've looked both ways before I crossed the aisle." She says, shoving both hands in her pockets. "It's fine Paul, really."

Paul nods and Jacobs slaps him appreciatively on the back. "Great. So I've never seen you around, and Forks is a pretty small town. Are you new here?" he asks.

She nods, rocking back on her heels. "Pretty much. My mom and her boyfriend decided they wanted a fresh start. Does it always rain so much?"

He laughs, deep brown eyes twinkling. "Yeah, actually. You get used to it. Have you met anyone new yet, ya know, friendwise?"

Her cheeks flush slightly. Of course not; she's only left the house to go walking and come here in the 2 weeks since they've moved. The days passed gloomily and blurred together like boring gray watercolors. "No, not really. I've kinda been lonely, actually."

It's fantastic how the truth just slips out when she's in potentially embarrassing situations. Somehow it doesn't seem so bad though when Jacob pats her sympathetically on the back and offers to pick her up and take her to a bonfire on Friday.

"Seriously?" She can't help the disbelief that slips into that word. If this were L.A. the prissy rich girls would dangle the idea of a bonfire in front of her face like the bitches they were, and smirk devilishly when they told her she was not invited. Of course, she would normally frown at the idea of a bonfire with a bunch of snobby rich kids anyway, but Jacob and Paul seem down to earth and she could use some good company.

"Seriously." Jacob smiles, and pats his back pockets, withdrawing a blue pen. He hands her the pen and then holds out his right wrist. "Just give me your address and I'll be there around 7. We live on the reservation and there will be a lot of people so you can meet the rest of us."

"Wow. Thanks." She quickly scribbles down her new address, trying not to press down too hard on his rather warm skin. "Sounds like a lot of fun."

He takes back his pen, shoving it into his back pocket again. "Cool. Well me and Paul gotta go find Seth and get this food back home before Emily flips. You'll meet them Friday. So I guess we'll see ya later?"

"Sure." She smiles and for the first time notices their cart is piled high with food. Jacob must have been sitting _on top _of all it, because there was no way he would have fit inside. " See ya."

Jacob gives her one more of his dimpled grins, before shoving Paul in the direction of the check out lines. Paul grunts and starts pushing, giving her a mild wave, and soon they're both gone. She stands there for a moment, shocked that she'd been hit by a shopping cart and made some new friends in the span of five minutes. But before long the licorice calls again and she grabs a pack, swinging it as she makes her way to the film development center.

The large woman at the counter takes her roll of film, her lips pressed into a thin line. Riley drops the package of licorice on the counter and smiles sweetly. The woman,( her name is Lucille judging by her crumpled up stick on name tag), gives her a wry smile and wrings it up, eyes narrowed.

"That'll be 2.47, hun." She drawls, sounding like she belonged in Texas, not some knock off Wal-Mart in the middle of nowhere. Riley hands her the folded twenty, and the woman pops open the cash register. She hands her the change and her package of licorice looking severely unfulfilled with her life.

"You can pick up your pictures in 24 hours."

"Thanks." She smiles at the woman, and rips open the licorice, holding out a piece for her to take. "Have a nice day." Lucille eyes her suspiciously, but then takes it, the left side of her mouth twitching up into a half smile.

"You too."

Riley walks away, chewing thoughtfully, her addiction clutched in her right hand. There was nowhere left to go now but back to her mother and Will and the god-awful multicolored baby section. At least she wouldn't be hungry. She's halfway there, and humming to herself contently when it happens.

A boy, walking in the opposite direction towards the checkout lines, walks into her line of vision. He's tall and tan and his dark hair is just long enough to hang in his eyes. Maybe it's just her imagination but her hearts seems to skip a beat, and she almost chokes on the licorice she's chewing. This would've been fine; she might've blamed it on her teenage girl hormones but then he looks up meeting her surprised gaze.

And it's all over.

Her eyes grow wide with recognition even though she swears she's never seen this boy in her life. Her heart stops then restarts again at a faster pace, and it feels like her stomach just isn't there anymore. Even worse, she grinds to a halt and the package of licorice falls from her hand to the floor. The strangest part?

His reaction is the same. Minus the licorice of course.

Riley allows herself 5 seconds to stare at him. To take in his chocolate brown eyes, and his own shocked expression. The curve of his lips and line of his jaw. And then, she snaps out of it and bends down to retrieve her candy, a red blush painted across her cheeks. When she straightens up, the guy is gone. Disappeared. Vanished.

_Just. Like. That. _

It could've been a hallucination, or her imagination, or maybe some guy who ran off because some girl was gaping at him like he was some sort of God. But her heart is still racing and the blush is still burning bright across her face. And now people are starting to stare of course because she's standing in the middle of the aisle looking like she's just seen a ghost.

Biting her lip and shoving strands of blonde behind her ears she hurries off, ducking down a smaller aisle as a shortcut, her body surging with adrenaline and …butterflies? Pushing aside the image of the boy in her mind, she slowly regains her composure. By the time she reaches her mother and Will, all traces of embarrassment have been disposed of. The only evidence of seeing him is the resolute pounding of her heart. Its rhythm is the same, but now it beats for a totally different reason.

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Wow. So this was hardddd to write man. For you guys who might be confused, Seth sees her and runs away. He realizes he's imprinted and doesn't know what to do, so he bolts like a sissy. How manly of him. :D Also, I wanted Riley to experience the feeling of the imprinting too. She's just met her soul mate, well sort-of, so I wanted her to feel the emotions that Seth feels.

ANDDD, of course now she gets to see him again at the oh-so-convenient bonfire down at the Rez. I had to include Jacob in this story, and maybe he seems like a bit of a goofball, but he doesn't have too much to worry about now that he has Nessie in his life and everything is great.

I hope you guys enjoyed this. It was difficult. I had to stop like fifty times for a chocolate chip cookie. Thanks to my reviewers, **Alice745458** and **werewolfe-cupcake. **It means a lot to me(:


	3. Sherlock Seth

A/N: Alright so I received some positive feedback on the second chapter, and it made me feel really good. Sooo! I decided to hurry up and get this chapter out even though I had no idea where I wanted to start and whose POV it was going to be in! However, I thought my little heart out so here it is. Enjoy(:

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**Sherlock Seth…or not.**

Seth's heart doesn't stop pounding until an hour later. He's at First Beach now, having ditched Jacob and Paul with the groceries at Emily's and escaped in his own red pick-up. The whole ride home he'd tuned them both out, hardly listening as they went on about hitting some girl with a shopping cart. No matter how hard he tries, he can't stop thinking about her. That stupid girl with the big green eyes and the long blonde hair. GOD, he just wants to stop, take a moment to really breathe and just_ try _to figure out what he's feeling.

But there it is again. Her face; engraved into his mind and now his palms are sweating all over and a warm sensation is seeping into his chest and spreading through his veins. He feels like such a _chick, _but at the same time it's so good that he wants to scream. And of course he knows what this is. He's imprinted. IMPRINTED. And on some girl he doesn't even know, and has never seen before. Of course it's not really a bad thing. She's beautiful and probably an amazing person. But the fact that he actually _ran_ away from her in fright and doesn't even know her name is crippling him when he should really be happy.

"Great job, Seth you idiot! You ran away! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he mumbles, running a hand through his dark hair and groaning. He wants to throw himself off the huge log he's currently sitting on and into the freezing cold water, but he resists. This is his only clean shirt, and he's not in the mood to be cold on top of confused and frustrated.

Finally giving up on thinking at all he stands up, walking quickly into the tree line and undressing. He ties his clothes to his ankle before exploding into his Seth the wolf, and trotting off deeper into the woods. He'd come back for his truck later. Right now, he was in serious need of some advice. Almost immediately, Quil's voice pops into his head.

_Holy shit, man. I can feel you all the way from Claire's. What happened?_

He doesn't bother to reply; only letting the images of her emerald eyes, and golden hair fill his mind to the brim. And then of course, his running away.

_Dude, you ran? Haha, way to go._

_Shut up man, I didn't know what to do! You think I wanted to confess my love in the middle of Stop N'GO?_

_Well no but, you could've at least asked for her name. Now you'll have to go all Sherlock Holmes and track her down. You could be Sherlock Seth! _

_Sherlock Seth?_

_I watch my movies. Don't judge._

Seth shakes his head, tossing sandy fur along with it, before the familiar presence of Jacob slides into his mind.

_Sup guys? _

_Hey Jake, Seth imprinted! _

_QUIL! What the hell, man?_

_He was gonna read your mind sooner or later. _

_Whatever. Bitch. _

_Hey! Not nice. _

Seth lets another flow of images fill his mind again, before turning in the direction of Emily's. His stomach was growling and he really didn't feel like killing a rabbit right now.

_Woah, Seth that's the girl we hit with the cart today! _Jacob exclaims, excitedly. Pictures of the full grocery cart with Jacob on top, slamming into her thin body and knocking her hard to the ground are sent his way. Seth practically explodes. He probably would have if he wasn't in his wolf form already.

_YOU HIT HER! I thought you guys were done with that!_

_We were, but then I changed my mind! Haha, you ran away from her? Way to go, dude. _

_That's what I said! _Quil says, joyously. Seth can't help but emit a low growl. He's known they'd make fun of 'em since he bolted, but now they were supposed to help him, not go around in circles

_Ha, ha very funny guys. But seriously, I have no idea what to do. _

_Oh that's easy man! _Jacob pipes up happily. _Her name is Riley!_ _We invited her to the bonfire Friday. She's new and she didn't know anyone so I felt bad. _

_Seriously?_

_Seriously. I'm picking her up at seven. I figured I could introduce her to Nessie. You could come too if you want. _

Seth feels a new surge of energy, this time excitement. Maybe this wasn't screwed up after all. He'd just have to make sure he could stay in one place next time. He can smell Emily's cooking now, and he heads for the edge of the trees, catching sight of Sam and Embry in the backyard with Sam's twin little girls.

_Sweet! Now I won't have to be Sherlock Holmes! I mean Seth. _

_Sherlock Holmes? _Jacob says, confusedly.

_Ask Quil. _He says, before morphing into his human form again, and shrugging on his clothes. He exits the woods with a broad smile on his face, the face of Riley in his mind, and the rumble of hunger in his belly.

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Yeah so I know this is rather short, but I'm currently about to jump in the car and head to the beach so cut me some slack. I really enjoyed writing the mental conversation between the guys. They're such goofballs :D. I got the Sherlock Holmes idea from watching the movie the other night. Robert Downey Jr. is soo attractive for an old guy….

Anyways, thanks to **xOliviaLansing77x **for the review. Made me so happy(:


	4. Intoxication

_A/N: **Well I honestly don't have much to sayyy….So here ya go.**_

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**Intoxication.**

Hours later Riley finds herself cozied into one of the new armchairs in the living room, a pint of Ben & Jerry's Milk and Cookies cradled in the crook of her arm. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest plays on Will's huge flat screen, but to say she's not paying attention is putting it lightly. She swirls her spoon slowly in the melting ice cream, eyes fixated on the wall across from her.

Good god she had been so _stupid _today. Getting smashed by a grocery cart over a pack of Twizzlers and then going all wide-eyed at some poor innocent guy who ran away. How embarrassing. Bringing the spoon to her lips she sticks out her tongue to catch a few drops, before frustratingly dropping it back into the carton. Growling she gets off the couch, dumping the melted ice cream into a garbage can, and stalking up to her room. She retrieves her hiking boots and her raincoat, and heads outside, not bothering to alert her mother and Will who are "unpacking" behind their closed bedroom door. Ugh.

Outside the air is crisp and smells of rain. It is almost completely dark now, but she tramps into the woods without fear or a second thought to her own safety. All that really matters is clearing her head. As she steps into the foliage, a new dark world of greenery greets her. Inside the tree line it is damp and wet but also cool and relaxing. The world is untouched and silent, and suddenly every drop of water from the leaves above to the mossy ground below can be heard. She relishes in the calmness and purity of nature, and inhales deeply, before continuing along an unseen path.

_Stupid._ _You are so stupid. Why can't you just let it go that you had an embarrassing moment? It was just one guy. One stupid guy. You've got to let this girly feelings crap go! _Her mind shouts at her some more, and she sighs, dragging a hand along rough bark.

"But I can't. It's irrational but I can't." Riley replies softly to herself. She lifts up the hood of her raincoat around her chilled ears. "How can you forget a feeling like that?"

_You don't. But you've got to…somehow. Look at how your mother has turned out. A desperate emotionally attached mess. A pathetic lovesick vulnerable-_

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound rips through the silence and interrupts her thoughts. It's as if something had stepped on an entire tree trunk and snapped it in half. The sound echoes for a moment, and Riley stops to do a 180 scan of the woods around her. The skin on the back of her neck prickles warningly, but there is nothing. She turns back around again and almost faints from shock.

The view of never-ending woods has been replaced with the body of the largest wolf she has ever seen.

* * *

_What is she doing out here? _Seth thinks to himself, practically quaking with concern and now fear and worry. _She could get herself killed in these woods!_

Despite the fact that she is now faced with the largest, and probably the most dangerous animal in the whole state, Riley doesn't even scream. She only looks at him, eyes filled with amazement, shock and…recognition? Seth can hardly contain his feelings right now.

"Eyes…" She mutters, and Seth almost has a heart attack. "So familiar."

_She's smart. Too smart. _He lets his large lupine eyes memorize the way her lips have fallen open in shock, and how the too-green color of _her_ eyes matches the plants around them. _It's a good thing the guys are all too busy stuffing their faces. _

He'd left dinner early so he could stake out Riley's house. Jacob had given him her address and he'd been unable to resist. Being away from her made his heart ache, almost exactly the way it had when his father had died. (Only this time she was just far away, not dead. The idea of her dead made him want to go newborn hunting alone.) He'd been unable to predict, however, that she'd be taking some idiotically dangerous walk ALONE in the woods at night.

He cautiously takes a step forward, lowering his large sandy head so they are almost nose to nose. She doesn't move, only raises a steady hand, and buries it deep into the fur of his jaw. Her scent is utterly intoxicating; a mixture of rain and freesia and amber. He wants to phase, pin her against a tree, and kiss the daylights out of her.

Instead he only watches through the same chocolate eyes, as she leans into him and his nose brushes the smooth skin of her forehead. In that moment Seth is everything and nothing. He is animal and human; alive and dying. His world spins around him in vast arrays of green and yellow, and she is the center: a beautiful pinpoint that ties it all together with unbreakable knots.

_.Iloveyou._

The three words repeat themselves over and over in his mind until he is dizzy, and common sense whirls back to him. He takes one step back and the moment is broken. She can't stay here, and she shouldn't be seeing him in his wolf form. Riley has to go.

Their eyes meet, and he backs up a little more. She starts to follow, but a low growl rises in his throat and she halts, confused. Seth tilts his head to the side and tips up his nose, gesturing for her to go back. At first it appears as if she will refuse stubbornly but then Riley bites her lip and turns in the direction from which she'd came. He watches her until her yellow raincoat disappears and turns to go back to the house, emptiness rising in his throat. Forget finding her house; he'd do it later tonight when she was undoubtedly sleeping.

_Seth you are an idiot. Jacob is going to eat you for a midnight snack. _Quil's voice appears in his head and he rolls his eyes. He hadn't noticed his presence until now. But he was right. When Jacob found out that Riley had seen him like this, he'd flip.

_Love makes you do crazy things, Quil. Crazy things. _

_A/N: **Alright so there ya go. Sorry it took so long. I thought I'd lost my plot line. And then I got it back(: **_


	5. The Voice of Reason

_A/N:_ **Tell me what you think?**

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**The Voice of Reason**

Riley stumbles back into the house, a mixture of adrenaline and pure shock setting her body on fire. What she'd seen back there…that huge wolf-bear thing and the feeling of familiarity she'd felt in those same chocolate eyes...it made her want to scream. But even more so it made her feel complete.

She dumps her hiking boots in the cold garage and throws her raincoat in the closet before climbing upstairs and into a steaming hot shower. Rivulets of water drench her skin and soak her blonde hair, pasting it to her back and shoulders. She fixes the tan tiled wall with an empty, dazed stare.

Right now it is impossible for her to think. Her mind is a jumble of puzzle pieces, and for the life of her she can't place them together. She doesn't try until her hair and body has been thoroughly scrubbed with soap and she is buried in an old faded t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, and hiding under her covers. Two totally bizarre and unrelated events have happened in her life today. Now she feels as if she might never be the same.

A boy in a supermarket. A wolf in the woods. Human. Animal.

But with the same eyes.

How can that be?

She'll never chastise herself again for being breathless, she realizes, when it happens two times in one day for seemingly the same reason. But what was the reason? She struggles for an answer. It was not simply the eyes. It wasn't the feeling of fur sliding through pale fingers or even a jaw line being etched into memory. It was the explosion; the sudden bang that shifted her world in a matter of seconds and made her realize that she was desperately missing something. Needing something. And now it was standing right in front of her.

_Insane. You're going insane. You don't even know him! And what about the wolf? They cannot possibly be the same. _The voice of reason presses in, placing logic in front of everything that had happened. _This whole move to a different state thing has messed with your mind. It was just a wild animal and he was just a boy you'll never see again. Never. _

The very thought makes her want to burst into a million broken-hearted pieces, but logic is right. The boy and the wolf cannot be the same. It is improbable; impossible. Absolutely ridiculous. (If someone had come knocking on her bedroom door right now and said it was possible she'd go running back into the woods to find the wolf without a second thought, or even bothering to ask for proof. That's how pathetic her belief in logic really was. )

Nevertheless, she settles her head on her pillow and exhales slowly, blowing out excitement and hope and need and want and everything else she'd felt that day in one breath. She was not a hopeless romantic like her mother; she'd learnt that true love was scarce and hardly worth paying for with your heart. You could feel other ways, with captured moments of true beauty and even flowers hidden in the crooks of trees. But love...it wasn't worth it.

And besides. She couldn't love a boy she didn't know, and had hardly even seen.

And she most certainly could not love a wolf.

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_A/N:_ **Very short, I know. But I felt the emotion now, so I had to get it out. It was just dying to be written. Thanks to CassieVoeh, iHeartTheViolet, and Alice74548 for the reviews on Chapter 3. And thanks to DareBear13 for the review on Chapter 4. Much appreciated guys(:**


	6. Frozen Fingers

A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I had summer camp and then a very adorable new summer boy to distract me(: And then I had school starting, and then lots of tests and homework and…oh boy I'm sorry okay? But like fo real…I got a plot now! IT'S THE SHIT. I think…but anyways! Enjoy(:

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**_Frozen Fingers_**

The next few days of the week are spent like the ones before it. Agonizingly slow and boring. Tuesday Riley reads three books borrowed from the library. Wednesday she borrows her mother's car and heads to the Shop-N-Go to pick up her developed pictures. (No she does not walk down the aisle where she'd seen the boy. That's silly…and painful) Thursday she sits on Will's new plush leather couch and stares at the wall, NOT thinking about any of the events that had occurred on Monday. And finally, Friday, she spazzes around the house, taking more pictures and painting her nails green to match her new green converse from the mall trip in Seattle a week prior. It's the day of the bonfire and the day of freedom.

To say she's excited about the bonfire is a huge understatement. Her body aches for the rush of human interaction, seeing as her mother's job as a nurse in Seattle requires long hours and Will's pathetic law firm is just blossoming. (Alright so maybe it's not pathetic. She still doesn't like him that much despite all of his nice financial support.)

At 6:45 Riley is already dressed in her converse, skinny jeans and black pullover sweatshirt. Make-up is minimal, since she hardly ever bothers with anything besides mascara and some eyeliner, and she sits lips pursed on the stairs in front of the front door. 15 more minutes to go. And that's if Jacob arrived on time. She stares at the white door for a few seconds before getting up and jogging up the stairs to grab her recently developed pictures. This batch had come out well.

The first one is of the new house. It's picture perfect, and though not as modern as their apartment in L.A., it's still quaint and warm. Others are of Will and her mother staring proudly at their newly purchased home. It's almost too sweet to be sickening. Then lastly, there are the pictures she'd taken in the woods on her first walk. Raindrops on tiny petals. An abandoned bird's nest with several blue egg shells left behind. And then her beautiful little flower, tucked cozily into the base of a tree and protected by its twisted roots.

She sighs, running her thumb over the smooth surface of the photograph. Little things like this made life worthwhile; so small and yet so miraculous at the same time.

A sudden knocking on the door startles Riley from her thoughts and she nearly drops the pile of pictures. Setting them down quickly on the side table, she rushes back down the stairs in excitement. One quick look in the mirror to make sure no hair is out of place, and then she's throwing open the front door breathlessly. Jacob stands grinning outside the screen, and she's so grateful for another human being that she wants to hug him.

"Riles!" He exclaims, and although this new nickname is unexpected, she already loves it. Stepping out of the house, and closing the door behind her she grins at him.

"Jacob! You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I was beginning to think I'd never escape that god-awful house." He smirks and steps forward, wrapping his arms around her in a tight bear hug. It's almost impossible to breath but it's very warm and nice.

"I'm glad I could be of some use!"

He keeps his arm around her shoulders and steers them both towards a somewhat beat-up red pick-up truck. It looks sturdy enough but the best parts of it are the silver spinners. She inwardly grins at the fact that even a little bit of L.A. was in Forks, Washington.

"Love the spinners." She comments and Jacob laughs.

"Pretty nice, eh? This isn't my truck though; it's my buddy Seth's. I borrowed it cuz my Rabbit's in the shop."

"Rabbit?"

"A 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit. Don't tell me you don't know your cars?"

"I won't tell you then." She says with a smirk, and Jacob looks hurt as he detaches himself to open the backseat door behind the driver's side.

"You injure me Riley. Sorry but all non-car people have to ride in the backseat. Don't worry, you have company." He winks and she slides into the warm car, eyes rolling. The first person she sees is a perky, 12 maybe 13 year old girl grinning brightly at her from the seat behind the passenger. Her skin is pale but deep chocolate curls cascade down her shoulders and her brown eyes are stunning.

"Hi, I'm Nessie!" She says almost immediately, and her voice is as quaint as the tinkling of bells.

Riley smiles back, eyes roving over the interior of the car and stopping on the back of someone's head. The person in the passenger seat was leaning over, fussing with radio. "Hey. I'm R-…"

The words die in her throat as the person up front turns, and she finally glimpses a side profile of their face. Oh God. It's the same nose, the same jaw, the same lips. Is that even possible? It can't be him.

"R?" Nessie giggles. "That's a silly name."

Riley blinks once and then snaps out of it, laughing nervously. "Ah, no. Haha. Sorry. It's Riley. I had a moment there."

Nessie nods. "It's cool. We all have our moments! Don't we Seth?"

Seth. His name is Seth. Which means the guy in the Shop-N-Go that Jacob and Paul were looking for was also the guy she spazzed out on. And now he was here, mere feet away from her, in the same truck. HIS truck. Her mind begins to fit the pieces together, even as he finally turns around in his seat and looks right into her green eyes.

"Yes, yes we do. Hey, I'm Seth."

"Riley." She breathes.

For a second it seems as if there is no one else in the world besides him and her, and she inhales sharply, only to be shaken by Jacob climbing roughly into the car and slamming the door. He turns to Seth and looks at him strangely.

"Why are you staring at Riley?"

Seth scowls at him even as he grins knowingly. She shifts uncomfortably. There is obviously something going on that she doesn't know about.

"I wasn't!"

"Yeah sure, lover boy."

"He wasn't!" She pipes up, crossing her arms. "I asked him if there was something on my face."

Seth blanches for a moment, surprised by her cover up, and then nods. "Yup. And there's obviously nothing there. She looks fantastic! So you can stop being an ass and drive now, Jake."

Jacob only mutters under his breath and starts the car. Seth blows out a breath and then turns to her, giving her a perfectly stunning smile. She holds his gaze with a grin of her own and then looks away, out the window. She doesn't miss however, Nessie's eyes darting between the both of them amusedly.

God, those embarrassing moments just_ had_ to stop.

* * *

The rest of the ride is silent. For the first time in five days, Seth breathes easily, fingers drumming on the car door as the girl he is in love with stares out the window in the backseat.

Wow. Just…wow. The way everything that he lived for; everything he _was_ had come to focus around her made his head spin. At first she'd seemed so far away; so unreachable. She was just a face and then she was a face and a name, and now she was Riley with green eyes and an attitude.

And they had all the time in the world.

Jacob hadn't been as angry as Seth thought he'd be when he told him about catching Riley in the forest in his lupine form. He'd yelled at him for probably scaring the shit out of her, and then for even interacting with her. But then, he'd told him that maybe their chance encounter would make explaining the whole imprinting process easier, and patted him on the back. The very thought of having to explain what he really was to Riley made his stomach churn. It wasn't enough, however, to stop him from wanting her and wanting to be with her forever.

When they finally reached First Beach, Paul, Embry, Jared, Kim and Quil with Claire seated high on his shoulders were already seated around a huge bonfire. The light was starting to fade as the sun sank lower and lower into the horizon, and they all climbed out of the truck and made their way down to the beach. He lets his eyes follow the tips of blonde hair blowing in the breeze as she walks ahead of him, before he stumbles over a small piece of driftwood and snaps out of it.

"You're so whipped." Jacob mutters.

"At least she's not 12. Or 4, my bad." He mutters back, smirking.

"Fuck. You." Jacob jabs him in the side but Seth only grins, knowing he's won. Up ahead the girls have finally reached their circle of friends, and they reach the group just in time to hear Nessie introduce Riley. He watches her facial expressions as she greets everyone, and the friendly grin is genuine. Someone surrounded by so many new people, especially guys so huge, might've had a hint of apprehension, but she seems totally at ease. It's quite amazing, and he finds it pathetic that everything she does causes him to melt.

When the introductions are done, the four of them sink onto a huge piece of driftwood and Riley slides next to him. There isn't much space and she's so close he catches the scent of her hair. It's different this time, not freesia, but warm like vanilla and chocolate. It fills his senses to the brim and he can almost taste it.

"So Riley," Paul starts, breaking Seth from his reverie. "Tell us about Los Angeles. We don't get much of that celebrity, rich people stuff up here."

She laughs and shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. It's very fast-paced. My mother appreciated that part, and I guess I was fine with it. Once you live in L.A. for a while, coming and going and seeing famous people isn't a big deal. It's a part of every day life."

Kim sighs. "You must have met so many famous people. Like Orlando Bloom! God he's soo cute. Best movies ever are Pirates of the Caribbean, I swear." Jared groans and she pokes him in the side. "He's just bitter because he's seen the first movie 18 times, thanks to me."

Seth chuckles inwardly, having heard Jared's complaints about the "damned pirates" more than a few times. It was apparently too confusing, with too many attractive men for Kim to fawn over. However Riley's face lights up with amusement and she gasps.

"No way! I love those movies! You're kidding."

Kim shakes her head looking pleased. "Not at all. I can quote all three of them, and probably act them out." Riley shakes her head.

"That's insane. Me too! We've got to have a POTC movie day. You can leave Jared at home and we can eat Ben & Jerry's until we're sick of it." She says, pulling out her cell phone. It's small and the case is as emerald as her eyes. She passes it quickly to Kim before sitting down next to him again. "Just add your number. I'm free whenever."

"Sounds great!" Kim says, and Jared breathes an audible sigh of relief before mouthing "thank you" in Riley's direction. She only smirks.

"So Riley," Seth is almost startled to hear his own voice, and the way her name rolls so brilliantly of his tongue. She turns to him, and her face is close enough for him to see the flecks of gold in her irises. They flicker with something he can't figure out. " Do you think Orlando Bloom is sooo cute too?"

Oh god. How absolutely and utterly gay. Not just gay, but GOD, insecure of him. He wants to slap himself at the ridiculousness of that dumb, dumb, dumb question. Not to mention the amused smirk on Jacob's face that meant he'd be paying for it later. Everything is instantly all better though, when Riley tosses back her head and laughs.

"Yes." She says with a grin, and then she pokes him in the arm. "How bout you?"

"Nahh. He's not my type." He chuckles. "Mostly because I don't like men."

"I do." She says, and his eyes follow her lips as they form the words.

"Good." For a moment she holds his gaze, and the smile is gone from her face. She looks confused, almost bewildered, and then Quil clears his throat and they both look away.

"So anyways! Claire here would like to hear a story. And I promised I'd tell her one tonight. Anybody up for a legend?"

Seth's gaze flickers to the young girl, her arm wrapped up in Quil's larger one. She blinks sleepily up at Quil and for the first time, Seth notices that the sun has set and it's finally dark out.

"Sounds good Clairebear." Paul says softly. "What one do you want to hear?"

"My favorite one!" She giggles and it's extremely obvious to everyone that Quil melts internally. He gazes down at her with pure adoration, and Seth catches Riley smiling softly. Instantly he is grateful that she's in his age group, and not a child. There was no way he could possibly wait years to kiss her. Not now.

"Alright." Quil ruffles Claire's hair and she leans into him. "I'm sure everyone has heard our most popular legend, the tale of Taha Aki."

"Not this one again!" Jacob exclaims. Nessie socks him hard in the arm, and silences him with the hardest glare a twelve year old can muster. "Sorry." He mutters sheepishly. "This is just like the thousandth time I've heard it."

" Yeah well I've never heard it!" Riley pipes up. "So go ahead Quil. I'd love to hear about Taha Aki."

Jacob frowns. "Ugh fine."

"This story has been passed down for generations in our tribe." Quil begins. "As you all of you know, besides Riley, the Quilete legends speak of the ability of our ancestors to transform into wolves. Taha Aki was the first one to do so. He was a spirit warrior, able to leave his human body behind, to take on another form and defend his tribe. Many others could do this as well, but Taha Aki was the last great Quilete chief. He was a great leader. However, not everyone in the tribe was loyal. One day, a traitorous warrior named Utlapa stole Taha Aki's body while he was in his spirit form. Unable to do anything else, Taha Aki wandered aimlessly in the forest. That is, until he met a wolf, and requested to share his body. The wolf agreed and their spirits merged into one. As a wolf he was overtaken by love for his tribe and his people and he turned into a man. Although his form was not the same as before it reflected that of Taha Aki's soul."

"Wow." Riley breathes, and Seth can see that she's completely mesmerized by the story. "That's pretty sweet." He's heard it enough times to repeat it word for word, so its mystical flare doesn't quite draw him in like it used to. Besides, he knew the legend was beyond true and the complications turning into a wolf wrought upon him. It had cost him his father, and that was bad enough.

"Taha Aki quickly regained his position and was regarded as Taha Aki, the Great Wolf. He led his tribe for many many years, eventually giving up his ability to take on the form of a wolf so he could live with his true love. He had many sons who were found to be able to change forms, but then another threat rose on the horizon. Women from the Makah tribe began disappearing and the wolves were blamed. Taha Aki attempted to reassure the other tribe that it was not the wolves who were causing the disappearances but his words were cast aside out of fear. To prevent a possible war, Taha Aki appointed his son Taha Wi to find the true cause of the missing women.

One day Taha Wi found a strange sweet scent on the trail. He sent half of the pack away, and Taha Wi and his brothers never returned. A year later, two more women went missing and the spirit wolves were sent out. Only one returned, Taha Aki's oldest son, and he described creatures of great speed with flesh like ice and stone. He showed them chunks of the creature and the elders burned them, horrified."

"Sooo….wait a second." Riley says, "These creatures…what are they? And why did they have to be all mean like that?"

"They called them the cold ones, but they were pretty much vampires." Quil shrugs. "That's why the women disappeared. They drank…" he glanced cautiously down at Claire who had crawled into his lap, and was drooling on his shoulder. " they drank their blood."

Riley's jaw drops. "For real? Sick. That's disgusting."

"I agree one hundred percent Riley. And you know, this is a pretty gruesome story to be Claire's favorite. God, Quil what have you been teaching her?" Jacob jumps in, a teasing grin on his face.

"Shuddup, Jake. You know she always falls asleep before this part." Quil scowls and rolls his eyes. "Anyways, back to the story. So they burned the vamp bits, and everything seemed to be fine. But they were unaware that the cold one had a mate, and she was more then a little pissed off. One day, she attacked the village, and the oldest son went out to fight her. He lost the battle, and then his father Taha Aki shifted into his wolf form. Taha Aki's third wife watched this, terrified and knew that if she did not do something, the vampire would prevail. In order to protect her husband she thrust a dagger into her heart, knowing that the smell of blood would distract the cold one. She was right. Taha Aki was given just the right amount of time to bite the vampires neck and send her head rolling."

"And the third wife?" Riley says, her voice small. Seth glances at her out of the corner of his eyes, and her expression is thoughtful, if not sad.

Quil sighs. "She died, protecting the one she loved, and what was left of her village. A hero."

"Amazing." She breathes. "That was really a great story, Quil."

He smiles. "Yeah. Thanks, I'm glad you could enjoy a part of our heritage." Shifting slighty, he adjusts Claire in his arms, and stands to his feet. "I've got to take her home' it's getting pretty late. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Nice to meet you, Riles."

She nods and Quil disappears, jogging back up the beach with Claire wrapped up in her bright pink jacket. Everyone takes this as their cue to leave as well, and Jared and Kim rise simultaneously. Seth grimaces at the looks on their faces; it's obvious that they _won't_ be going home to sleep, and he'll have the mental images to prove it later. After muttering some hurried goodbyes, and Kim promising Riley that she'll call, they dart up the sand as well, holding hands.

"I guess it's just the six of us, then." Paul says, but Jake's already standing and brushing off his jeans.

"Sorry man, I gotta get Nessie home. She's grounded." He smirks and Paul frowns, "Stole Edward's credit card." Nessie rolls her eyes, and sticks her tongue out at him.

"Shut up Jay-cobb. You were the one that agreed to take me shopping, in the first place!"

"Yeah, yeah. Stop including the word "cob" in my name, you little criminal! I'm not a vegetable!" Nessie sticks her tongue out at him and Jake ruffles her hair affectionately before turning to Seth. "We're not riding back with you guys either. I stowed my motorcycle in the back of your truck so I could take her for a night time joy-ride back home. Cause, you know, I'm the sickest babysitter of all time. Hope you don't mind, Riley."

"It's all good."

Seth nods along absently, until he realizes the meaning of Jacob's words. Jake and Nessie wouldn't be riding back so it would just him…him and Riley. His stomach drops dangerously. He would be alone with her for the first time ever. Oh god, what was he going to do? What was he going to say?

"That sounds so fun!" Riley's voice jolts him from his thoughts, preventing him from near-hyperventilation. "I've always wanted to ride a motorcycle!"

Jacob grins, and then yanks her up into a bear hug that makes Seth's insides squirm with envy. "One day soon, Riles. We won't let you sit in that house all alone. I promise! Right, Seth?"

He nods vigorously. Maybe a little too hard. "Of course."

Jake lets go, and takes Nessie's hand, as if she's really a four year old, and not a surprisingly mature vampire hybrid 12 year old. "Well we'll see you guys later. Bye Paul, Embry. See ya later at Em's."

Nessie waves quaintly at the remaining people at the campfire. "Nice to see you guys! Bye Riley! And then they're both gone, racing almost inhumanly fast up the beach as Nessie's laughter rings sharp and bright, through the cold night air. Riley watches them, a smile on her lips, until their figures have disappeared into the darkness. And then she turns and her gaze settles on him. Seth's not sure he wants to believe it, but her emerald eyes seem to shimmer as if she's been wanting this with him all along. It gives him confidence.

"Ready to go?" he asks, and he thanks God that his voice doesn't waver in pitch.

"Sure." She replies, and her breath is a visible in the air. "I'm ready to go home and be warm. It's freezing. My fingers are frozen!" She holds up her hands, and their practically white, and stiff with cold.

"I can fix that." Seth murmurs, and before he can stop himself, he reaches for them. Her hands aren't too small or too big and fit perfectly in his own. She watches him, mouth slightly ajar, as he bends his head slightly to blow warm air across her knuckles. His body temperature is already a toasty 108, and he knows for a fact that his breath is as hot as a heater. Almost instantly the color returns and he uncurls her fingers and rubs them quickly for good measure, before letting her hands drop back to her side. Blood rushes to his cheeks as he realizes just exactly what he's done, and how utterly ridiculous he must have looked.

But Riley doesn't seem to think so, because she smiles this soft little smile and reaches for his hand again, to pull him up beside her. "Thank you. That helped a lot."

"You guys are leavin' too aren't ya?" Embry pipes up suddenly, and his voice is laced with knowing. Seth cringes as he realizes that Paul and Embry had just witnessed the entire thing. "Well fine, be that way!"

"Shut up, Embry" Paul says, but he's smirking wildly. "It was nice to meet you Riley. We'll see ya later."

"See ya." She replies with a grin, and begins the walk back up towards the truck. When her back is turned Seth scowls at the two of them. Paul lays a hand over his heart and sighs dreamily in response. Ugh. He was never ever, ever going to live this down.

"I'll see you losers later." He mutters. Riley's far up ahead, fading quickly into the blackness. He decides to screw it, and bursts into a jog after her. So what if he looked like a moron?

This was love, after all.

* * *

It's so late at night...I can't even...I don't even know. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Took a damn long while. Anyways, I'm peacin'. Leave me one! Goodnight(:

YourBiggestPretend


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